A radio made out of carbon nano-tubes could get better reception, than the current bulky silicon-based models. Researchers led by John Rogers at University of Illinois solved the amplification problems that had stymied previous nano-radios by making their radio on a quartz wafer the size of a grain of sand. The other big breakthrough: a method for making carbon nanotubes in perfectly aligned rows. The radio, which picked up a local traffic report, is just a proof of concept. The ultimate goal is a new breed of much faster semiconductor, thanks to the electrical properties of such tiny strands. [The Age]